Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday SBA Communications Corp. of the US is investing P10.7 billion in the Philippines to build telecommunications towers.
Lopez revealed the SBA project during a Philippine investment mission to Washington D.C. last week.
“As the Philippines is in the middle of updating its digital infrastructure, we welcome SBA’s continued expansion in the country, which will create more jobs while enhancing competition that will lead to better and more affordable telecommunication services for the people,” Lopez said.
The Board of Investments approved SBA’s application for registration on March 31, 2021 under a pioneer status. The project is expected to provide employment to 353 workers with plans to install 1,470 tower structures in the country within five years.
The BOI assists SBA on the incorporation of its local entity in the Philippines as the company starts hiring local staff to fill various positions in its Philippine office.
Lopez, in a meeting with SBA senior director for international affairs Nicholas Van Slyck and senior director for government and regulatory affairs Maria Alexandra, assured the telecommunications infrastructure firm of the government’s support for its operations in the Philippines.
Van Slyck said the company aims to build 180 towers in 2022 and is in talks with mobile network operators Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Dito Telecommunity which were receptive to SBA’s shared tower model. The company already installed 20 towers and expects to build 42 more by the end of the second quarter.
SBA is an independent tower company that provides critical passive infrastructure for wireless communications. It is a leading independent owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure including towers, buildings, rooftops, distributed antenna systems and small cells.
The company has presence in 16 markets throughout the Americas, Africa and the Philippines.
The Department of Trade and Industry, citing the Duterte administration’s continued push for economic reforms and sound policies and systems in place, said it is optimistic about the country’s growth trajectory and expects more foreign direct investments this year.
Lopez said the Philippines ranks 4th in FDI generation in the ASEAN.
“There is a strong connectivity demand in the country as Filipinos spend more time online than any other country in ASEAN and most other countries in the world. The government and the telco players are working hand-in-hand to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and next-generation platforms that are expected to boost production, improve productivity and enhance the country’s competitiveness,” Lopez said.
